Mistaken
by BaKanda-kun
Summary: It shouldn't be this difficult to take a peaceful bath after a mission. It also shouldn't be this easy for one man to mistake another for a beautiful woman.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Mistaken**

**Rating: T (just in case)**

**Pairing: Cross x Kanda (I don't actually support the pairing, but writing it was interesting)**

**Genre: Romance, Humor (?)**

**It was written as a request/gift for a friend of mine. It was quite a challenge, writing a pairing I'd never even thought of before. I've also never written yaoi/shounen-ai, so this will be interesting...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -Man - all characters belong to Katsura Hoshino**

One (Cross)

It had been years since Cross Marian last set foot in the Black Order. The place's oppressive rules and regulations and sheer amount of work were bad enough to make any sane person want to stay away.

In structure, it remained the same as he remembered it, with stone set in every surface, almost infinitely high ceilings, and thin glass windows that let in a very limited amount of natural light. From both the inside and outside it appeared to be nothing more than a veritable prison, impenetrable and inescapable. Not too far off, really.

In truth, he had no plans of allowing anyone to see him skulking about the corridors. What he was really interested in was making sure his stupid apprentice had successfully made it to headquarters without getting lost as he so often did on the simplest of routes.

It wasn't that the general felt any particular attachment to the boy, and he'd certainly not been anything like a father figure to him. The fact of the matter was that Cross simply didn't want the kid meandering around the world. All that training had to be used for something or else it would have been a complete waste of time—time he could've been using to seduce women and drink wine.

Cross sighed, lighting a cigarette before leaving it to hang lazily from his mouth. There was no point trying to be too discreet here. After all, since he'd stepped through the doors, he'd not seen one person roaming the halls around him, nor had he heard anything to signal the presence of human life. On one hand, he counted that as one less thing he had to worry about in his search. On the other, it also meant he hadn't found his idiot apprentice yet and the lack of progress annoyed him.

Plucking his cigarette momentarily from his lips, he exhaled a stream of smoke into the air, glancing in all directions. There wasn't much to do aside from walking in the same direction he'd been going. Maybe the kid had gotten here earlier than Cross anticipated and had already been sent on a mission.

He frowned deeply, biting down on the cigarette. If that was the case, he'd come all this way for nothing! Again, time that could have been well spent on gambling or some much more useful activity.

Really, where was everyone? Normally the Order would be alive with people bustling about with their work. The red-haired man turned, glimpsing a sliver of a window a little farther down the hall, receiving his answer immediately.

Night had fallen almost completely over Europe, leaving only faint streaks of fading neon in the navy sky. It was never a complete black, but more of an incredibly deep version of colder colors. When the stars shone in the dark canvas, the sky seemed to envelop whoever stood beneath it, reaching to Earth, invading all space to make sure no one could penetrate it.

Cross blew another trail of smoke into the window. He'd never been quite such a philosophical person, but when the moment struck, he allowed it. If nothing else, it impressed some ladies, if you could call them that, particularly those who didn't fall simply for his handsomeness alone. Unfortunately, there were those rare times he had to work for his women.

He stopped, leaning over the railing, overlooking the lower floors of the Order. Wandering the building aimlessly like this wouldn't do. He had things to take care of that were far more important than this.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed movement two floors below him. His visible eye widened in surprise, cigarette nearly slipping from between his lips.

A rather tall woman glided swiftly through the corridor, a mane of licorice colored hair tied in a high ponytail trailing behind her. She wore an ankle-length exorcist's coat, probably having recently returned from a mission. Or maybe she was just setting out on one.

But Cross simply couldn't resist the opportunity. Meeting a female exorcist who wasn't off limits for being Chief Komui's sister was a rare occurrence indeed.

Abandoning all plans of avoiding other people, Cross dashed to the nearest staircase, descending the steps by twos and threes as fast as possible without falling on his face. By the time he'd reached the right floor, the woman had disappeared. The only evidence suggesting someone had recently been walking the halls was the door to one of the rooms creaking shut.

Taking a gamble, the general crept over to it, rapping firmly on the thick metal.

"What?" answered a deep, obviously male voice.

Cross said nothing, but simply made a disgusted face before retreating to another part of the building. There was no way he'd go for a man.

The detour seemed to have worked in his favor regardless, as he finally glimpsed a shock of white hair carrying a plate piled high with a mountain of food disappearing around a corner. The gold golem trailing behind the boy spotted Cross, flitting away from him and toward the older man.

"It's been a while, Tim," Cross greeted his former companion. "Good to know my stupid apprentice found his way here without much trouble."

Timcanpy affirmed the statement by fluttering in circles and figure eights beside his master's head. Cross nodded, the shade of a smirk playing across his features, before shooing the golem back to Allen.

He'd found what he'd come for, yet his business didn't seem finished. After just a moment of thought, he recalled what he still had to do. The figure of the woman from earlier materialized in his mind. The odds of coming across a female exorcist who wasn't Komui's younger sister or otherwise averse to his tactics were astronomically low. The rarity of said woman being beautiful, even from a distance, even greater. In short, she must be pursued!

Cross dashed off down the hall in search of her, abandoning all stealth efforts. He'd end up being seen by at least one person who probably wasn't all that skillful with keeping secrets, judging by his considerable experience with women.

"General Cross?"

He cursed under his breath, turning around to face the person addressing him. Komui stood, mug of hot coffee clutched in one hand as always. His face betrayed all manner of surprise, Cross being the very last person he expected to be roaming the halls of the Black Order. The man stepped forward as if needing to examine Cross more closely to make sure it was genuinely the long missing general.

"What do you want, Komui?" Cross growled, unhappy about the sudden distraction from his personally assigned mission.

"What do I want?" he repeated, shock still evident on his sharp features. "You haven't been to headquarters in years! Of course, it's strange to see you here, and without us having to chase you down. I was worried I'd have to send my poor Lenalee and her friends to track you down because you evaded us so easily."

Cross tuned the talkative man out quickly, continuing on his way, even as Komui failed—or refused—to take the hint. Cross guessed he didn't want to lose the general again so quickly, so naturally remaining constantly vigilant until he could find someone else to take over the job was the best solution.

However, the one thing Cross regrettably neglected to notice was the way Komui steered him discreetly in the directions the Chinese man wanted to go. Specifically, to the science department. By the time he did realize his mistake, it was far too late. He stood mere feet from the entrance and a few scientists had already looked up from their tasks, doing double takes at the unlikely person in their presence.

"Hey, everyone!" Komui called in his sing-song voice. "General Cross Marian has returned!"

To Cross' mild disgust, he suddenly became encased in a mass of people, half of whom seemed to forget that he wasn't a fan of them unless they were beautiful, easily seduced women who enjoyed drinking wine almost as much as he did.

His mind remained fixed on the woman he'd been searching for all this time, cursing Komui for bringing him away from his goal. Then, through the teary-eyed people before him—whether they cried out of excitement or fear of him—he caught a glimpse of a flowing cascade of raven hair. Although it was untied this time, Cross still recognized the figure of the woman, who now turned out to be even taller than he expected. Not that he was complaining.

He attempted to shove aside the massive crowd of bodies to follow her, but it seemed as though once he finally got one out of the way, another immediately replaced it. By the time he'd finally removed himself from the throng, she had, unsurprisingly, disappeared.

"Damn it!" he spat, not bothering to conceal his frustration.

"You must be tired," Komui interjected. "Why don't you find a room to sleep in for a while? There are a few free on this floor if you'd like."

Deciding there was little point in going on with his hunt, he resigned himself to doing just that, even as he muttered something about everyone being oblivious to what he said to them. Then again, this was the science department he was dealing with. Most of them probably hadn't slept at all for days. Komui himself, that was just normal behavior for him. Annoying, but not much anyone could do other than learn to ignore the man.

Cross found an empty room after walking half the circle that was the corridor, across from the spot he had just stormed away from. Without knowing it, he had navigated the Order headquarters for hours. It was the middle of the night, he noted, a little surprised. The plate of food he saw Allen carrying earlier must have been more of a midnight snack than dinner, and the science department was no doubt pulling another all-nighter.

Nevertheless, Cross ultimately decided sleeping at this point was acceptable. Despite his willingness to look for the mystery lady, he resigned himself to the single bed placed in the corner of the room, only to find sleep eluded him for the rest of the night.

**Review if you're so inclined please? I'm hoping for a simple "It doesn't suck", but I can take some constructive critique. The next chapters have already been written and will be up as soon as I figure out how to successfully work the site! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2! Hopefully it's okay. How's the odd pairing so far?**

**Thank you so much for reading the first chapter and for reviewing! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own -Man **

Two (Kanda)

As if the noise outside the bath hadn't been irritating enough, Kanda now had to deal with the aggravation of some restless person in the supposedly empty room next door to his.

Earlier, having just returned from a rather difficult mission, he'd foolishly counted on being able to relax for a while in the hot spring baths. After all, it was past midnight, and the people in the science department were usually fairly quiet around that time.

But tonight, something seemed to have set them off, and quite suddenly at that. Out of nowhere, Kanda heard shouts and cheers and even sobs, wrenching him out of his half conscious state. It was amazing what sheer lack of sleep could do to a person, he thought as he attempted to relax, sinking into the heated water up to his chin.

When he couldn't stand the racket anymore, he finally emerged from the bath, toweling off and grumbling to himself. Of course, by the time he stepped into the corridor, everyone had disbanded as if on cue. No visible sign of a celebration remained. Just his luck after being sent on a mission with that bean sprout. It obviously made sense he wouldn't get any peace once he returned home either.

A sudden crash echoed from the neighboring room. What was that person _doing_?

Allowing a low growl to escape his throat, he merely buried himself beneath his blanket in hopes of muffling the sound a little. How was he supposed to sleep when idiots like that insisted on keeping him awake?

And so it continued for the remaining hours until morning, Kanda all the while cursing himself for being a light sleeper. A couple of times he pounded once on the wall beside him in hopes of somehow making the sound resonate through the thick stone walls. Needless to say the person on the other side never even faltered in their hopefully inadvertent annoying of their neighbor. It had better be unintentional, Kanda thought, or that person wouldn't be very happy once he met them in the morning.

Sometime just before dawn, it occurred to him that maybe an early morning bath now would relax him more than his midnight one had. At this point, the science department must be exhausted, he thought, practically incapable of making another big scene.

Rising from bed in the clothes he slept in, Kanda strode to the hot spring baths, picking up his pace to the point where if he walked any faster he'd be jogging. Once he got to the baths, relief flooded him upon realizing no one else was there. Probably because no one else had been kept awake all night by the restless movement in the room beside his. He wondered vaguely just how much noise whoever it was had to be making if Kanda could hear it, but the other person couldn't hear Kanda's occasional pounding on the wall.

Grabbing a couple of fresh towels and a bar of soap from the storeroom, he undressed, replacing his clothes with a single towel around his waist. Of course he was alone, but Kanda never took any chances around other people. For all he knew, Lavi or someone would stroll right in without a second thought, and that wouldn't do.

He sunk into the water to his chin, feeling the steaming warmth envelop his body more thoroughly than any blanket. It conformed to his body in a way nothing else could, heat penetrating his skin, seeping through his muscles, relaxing them in order to caress his bones. Every bit of him felt as though he had melted gradually into the water, floating below the surface, but not drowning. The water took away pressure from him instead of adding it.

His mind faded little by little, replaced with the soft rush of the miniature waterfall mere feet from his head. Steam entered in his ears, filling his head so there was little room for any conscious thought. He could almost see it clouding beneath his closed eyelids as he drifted to sleep, finally allowing him the rest he'd been denied during the night. To his delight, the sheer magnitude of his exhaustion kept any potential dreams at bay, unable to muster enough energy to conjure shapes and scenarios.

He should have known that whatever bliss unconsciousness brought him would be matched tenfold with disappointment upon his waking. Even in his deepest stage of sleep, Kanda could discern footsteps approaching from outside. They echoed through the changing rooms, signaling someone coming to use the bath as opposed to simply passing by.

He snapped to attention, all thought of continuing sleep vanishing. Leaping out of the bath—because Yu Kanda simply did not scramble as other, less graceful people might have—he shivered at the chilling air. Fortunately, the extra towel he had brought was plenty big enough to wrap around his upper body while the other remained sopping wet, still slung loosely around his hips. His dripping hair fell heavily over his shoulders, soaking the dry towel almost instantly. A few strands hung in front of his face, creating an artistic effect as it broke up his sharp features.

Hurrying through the doors to the changing room in hopes of avoiding whoever was inconsiderate enough to disturb him, he nearly collided with a tall red haired man, a dry towel also around his waist. Without so much as an apology, Kanda continued on his way, even as the man shouted after him.

Ducking into the nearest changing stall, he stood, still shivering slightly in the chill of late fall, waiting impatiently for the man to go away. Unfortunately, he seemed to have other plans as footsteps repeatedly stomped past his stall.

_Damn it, what the hell is this guy doing?_ he thought, scowling as the shadow once again flickered beneath the crack in the bottom of the door. This time, however, it stopped in front of him.

A knock resonated through the changing room, bouncing off of the tiled walls.

"What do you want?" Kanda snapped fiercely.

"What? Again?" the man said in what sounded like surprise and a fair amount of frustration before he trudged away in silence.

"Che." Kanda couldn't be bothered with other people's confusion. It wasn't his fault they were idiots.

Opening the door a crack, he barely glimpsed the man entering the baths, long hair bouncing against his shoulders. The faint scent of cigarette smoke drifted to Kanda's nostrils as he noted the man had lit one as he exited the changing room.

It was only when he turned to the side to blow a long stream of smoke into the air that Kanda finally recognized him. Kanda's eyebrows knitted together in a disapproving frown. He'd heard stories of Cross' habits, between his drinking, womanizing, and the astronomical debts of the two combined. The last time he'd seen Cross was years ago, even before his first official mission at the Black Order. So why was he back now?

When Kanda was confident Cross' attention was focused somewhere other than him, he slipped quietly out of the stall in search of his clothes. In less than a minute, he donned them, rushing from the room as quickly as he could without actually appearing troubled to anyone who might see him.

Did others know that Cross was back? Komui had to. After all, when he recalled the mental image of the red haired man, he remembered how unkempt his hair was, assuming it to be bed head. That would mean he'd taken up a room at the Order. Even Cross had to have the common sense to know that more women would notice him if he was well kept. Then again, Kanda thought, considering the company the general kept, that probably wasn't true in the least.

Scoffing as he left the spring baths, he slung his towel over the back of his head, trying to dry as much of his soaking hair as possible. It was a disadvantage of keeping it waist length. He would never do something so feminine as to use a hairdryer, yet allowing water-laden hair to hang loose down his back ended up dampening his shirt. If it were his uniform that may not have mattered so much with the thick, nearly waterproof material. But without a mission, there wasn't much reason to wear it inside, even as it was mid-autumn.

In hopes of avoiding yet another distraction, Kanda migrated to the cafeteria for breakfast—soba, as always—wet hair still framing his face as he'd let the towel rest around his shoulders for now. He kept watch around him warily, checking not only for Cross, but for someone like Lavi, just in case he'd have to bolt back to his room. It would be a shame not to be able to finish his meal, though.

Unfortunately, the latter did end up coming in well before Kanda finished eating, and he had to listen to endless babbling for minutes on end. When he had finally swallowed the last noodle, he slammed his chopsticks onto his teacup.

"Stupid rabbit," he growled, catching the redhead's attention immediately. "I'm going back to my room. Go away."

"Yu-chan!" Lavi whined as his fellow exorcist stormed out of the eating hall. It took more than that to get rid of the chatty teenager.

Even as Kanda stalked away from the boy, muttering something about being very busy, Lavi continued the one-sided conversation.

"Yu, how was the mission with Allen?" he pressed, nearly stepping on Kanda's heels, he was so close behind him.

"Hmph."

"I haven't really gotten a chance to talk to the kid yet, but I bet he's pretty interesting, eh?"

"There's nothing interesting about that bean sprout," Kanda spat, counting the steps before he'd be able to turn the door handle to his room, grab Mugen, and shove it down the other boy's throat.

"Bean sprout?" Lavi repeated. "Well, he is kinda small, isn't he?"

"Che."

"C'mon, Yu, you could be a little more talkative than this."

Kanda said nothing as he finally pushed open the door to his room, wrapped his hands around the sword he'd so foolishly left behind, and thrust the end in Lavi's face. "You're annoying. I'll slice you if you don't get out of here _right now_."

"Alright, alright," Lavi conceded, barely having stepped through the room before the door slammed behind him, nearly hitting his back as it did so.

With an exasperated sigh, Kanda, flung the towel to the ground in irritation. Ever since his last mission, he'd been met with nothing but interruptions with barely a moment to himself.

As if to prove his point, a heavy knock sounded at the door. Thinking it was that idiotic rabbit back to pester him, he drew Mugen, about ready to drive it through the teenager's skull.

"Damn it, Lavi—" he began before taking in the man before him. While he did have wild red hair, this person was far from whom he'd anticipated.

**Thanks so much for reading! Please keep reviewing if you have time! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm really surprised anyone's reading this! Happy, but surprised. This is definitely not the kind of thing I'm used to writing. ^^;**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -Man or any of these characters, etc.**

Three (Cross)

This time, Cross was absolutely sure he'd followed the right person to the right room, surprised to find it was right next to his own. He'd waited for the eye-patched nuisance to retreat to wherever he was going before moving in. Having been fully refreshed from the bath—albeit disappointed at his second failure at catching the beautiful young lady—he rapped confidently on the door before him.

"Damn it, Lavi!"

Cross cursed at the recognizable male voice as the metal barrier separating them whipped open and the end of a long, thin sword suddenly stared him in the face. Although a little shocked, he merely glanced at the unwavering weapon set between his eyes.

Before him stood the person he had been looking for. A deep scowl adorned pale, sharp facial features framed by hair the color of midnight devoid of moon and stars. The hair was soaking wet and obviously not brushed, a few longer strands falling in front of slanted blue-gray eyes the color of steel. Drops of water had soaked into a white shirt enough to make it see-through in parts.

At first, Cross' heart leapt with excitement at having found the woman he'd been searching for. That is, until he realized that the beautiful woman was more of a defensive and rather angry looking young man.

The boy's cold eyes widened in astonishment at the general standing before him. It took him a moment before he appeared to remember his sword positioned at the bridge of the older man's nose. He lowered it, clearly reluctant to do so. Saying nothing, he kept his glare fixed on the person before him.

The silence stretched between them for what felt like minutes on end before Cross finally broke it. "You're no woman."

The Japanese youth opened his mouth to speak, closed it again, turned faintly pink—whether with embarrassment or anger, Cross couldn't tell—and finally stuttered a few words. "Wh-what are you…of course I'm not!"

The door was swung shut with more force than Cross thought possible. If he hadn't predicted the action within a split second of its occurrence, he wouldn't have had time to buffer it with one hand before preventing it from slamming against the doorframe with his foot. Even through his thick-soled boots he almost grunted with the sheer weight of the metal slab crashing into the side of his foot.

"Let me in," Cross said, a dangerous glint flashing through his eyes.

Cross sensed the pit of despair forming in the boy's stomach. Surely Allen had mentioned him at least once before, and even Cross knew any words he had couldn't be pleasant ones. He recognized this boy as one of General Tiedoll's students. He nearly laughed, thinking how opposite he was from the overprotective, sentimental father figure.

The boy's eyes widened as the hungry look in Cross' eyes intensified, focused entirely on him. Fear and hesitation weren't things Cross was used to encountering in his prey when nearly all of them were as lustful as he. At this point, nothing in the world would stop him from entering this room. With seemingly little effort, he shoved the door open wide enough for his body to fit through with ease.

The moment he'd officially invaded the boy's space, however, was when the kid finally came to his senses, raising his sword once again. He swung the blade at Cross' throat, narrowly missing when Cross skillfully ducked to the side.

"Kanda, is it?" he said as the raven-haired youth attempted a few more strikes.

Kanda simply scowled in response before retorting, "I don't believe my name is any of your business, even if you are a general."

Cross smirked. "Anyone's name is my business."

Kanda scoffed, maneuvering his way around the red-haired man and to the door. Catching him off guard, he grabbed the collar of his uniform, wrenching him back and throwing him out the door. Before Cross got his bearings, the barrier was once again raised, separating him from his interest. By now, he paid little attention to the gender of the person before him and more to the fact that he was attractive. He was pretty androgynous anyway, easily mistaken for a woman. Cross was sure he couldn't have been the first to think so, although judging by the boy's demeanor, he may have been the first to voice it so bluntly.

He wondered vaguely if maybe he had been too forward with the boy. It was something he'd never had to worry about before. His women usually played along with him, after all. After a moment of thought, he realized he would have to dig deep inside himself to find his gentler side. Or maybe, he pondered, seducing men required a different tactic.

Cross smirked, doubtlessly planning his next attack. It wasn't altogether difficult to figure out this boy's routine as he trailed him discreetly throughout the next few days. Kanda trained in the morning before a soba breakfast. Then he meditated and trained until lunch, consisting of more soba. His afternoons progressed relatively similar to the mornings, though with far more interruptions from the science department, Komui, or Lavi. At supper, Cross came to the conclusion that all the boy ate was soba for all three meals.

What a reserved kid, he thought at first. Then the realization hit that Kanda had to be at least in his late teens by now, plenty old enough not to be regarded as a child.

It was well after supper when Cross was afforded his opportunity. Kanda bathed right before retiring to his room, just as he had the night before upon returning from his mission.

However, Cross let the chance pass the first time. It didn't take him long to understand that this boy was a creature of habit. Even before the end of the first day he'd picked up on it, simply judging by the way he became annoying at small interruptions and spent so many hours on one task.

For those few days, he only waited. He wanted the boy to forget him, to stop looking over his shoulder as if someone were following him constantly. He wanted him to feel more at ease the next time Cross approached him. Most importantly, he wanted him to be completely alone without the fear of another person's intrusion.

Although the nearly unbearable wait was tedious, Cross found himself building anticipation, becoming more and more excited at the prospect of surprising his unsuspecting target. It became fun stalking the boy, even if it earned him regular questioning looks from the occasional passerby. After years of dodging his debt, Cross knew how to hide from the people he didn't want to be noticed by. That meant not only Kanda himself, but those like Allen and Komui who couldn't seem to keep his rare appearances quiet.

On the fourth night of tracking his prey, Cross found himself unwilling to stand by and watch Kanda anymore. His opportunities were sorely limited, restricted to early morning and late at night. Because he was by no means an early riser, he resorted to evening activities. It would hardly be appropriate or intelligent to ambush the Japanese youth while he was eating. There was no way he'd be able to enter the boy's room again anytime soon, as he'd taken greater precautions in making sure it was locked and not opening it unless he was leaving himself. Essentially, he had one chance out of the entire day to catch him.

Cross had stationed himself down the hall just around the corner from Kanda's room. It had to be nearing midnight when he emerged, Mugen in hand, to make his way to the hot spring baths. The front of his shirt was unbuttoned as if it would waste precious bathing time to have to undo it. Actually, Cross thought, that probably was the reason, considering how annoyed he seemed at having to deal with other people around when he bathed.

As he stalked Kanda to the baths, he couldn't help but wonder how a man in his late teens could possibly be mistaken so easily for a woman. Or at least why, despite surely knowing what he appeared to be, he did nothing about it. If Cross hadn't spent so much time chasing what he thought was a beautiful young lady, he might have been appalled at his mistake.

He took his opportunity for better concealment when Kanda stepped into a changing stall to remove the rest of his clothes. Cross followed suit a few doors down, miraculously having the decency to wrap a towel around his waist for the younger man.

It was only when he heard the latch sliding on Kanda's door that he cracked his own, watching the boy wade into the steaming water. It was like the first time he'd knocked on his bedroom door, only better. Granted, the kid had a towel around him, too, but otherwise bare. Cross stared transfixed at Kanda's naked back as he walked, noting the way each muscle seemed to move exactly the way it was supposed to, giving him a lean, yet strong appearance.

He stared as the boy nearly slipped on a rock beneath the water's surface. His expression turned startled as his muscles tensed all over, bracing for a fall that never happened. Stepping lightly from there, Kanda lowered himself slowly and carefully into the heated pool, submerging up to his neck before leaning his head back to rest against the side. Silky hair the color of pitch darkness fell into the water around him like a hovering cloak. It wasn't until after he had lathered it with a bar of regular body soap and rinsed thoroughly that Cross emerged from his hiding place. He'd almost forgotten his plan altogether, being so utterly hypnotized by the scene before him.

Now, Cross himself possessed no modesty. Despite the long fluffy piece of cloth slung loosely over his hips, he felt no shame in strutting out to meet his target head on. There were no more tricks. No more hiding. No more stalking.

It was time for confrontation.

Kanda had had his eyes closed, serenity settled all over his features as if it belonged there. Upon hearing feet slapping the stone floor in his direction, his eyelids snapped away from each other as if repelled by an unseen force between the two.

Cross grinned down at him and the young man paled at the very sight.

**Thank you for reading, and please review! I don't mind constructive critique - I'd really like to improve as a writer. I'm a little afraid of posting the last chapter for fear of it having a lame ending. Nevertheless it'll be up very soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Last official chapter! I'm really sorry if the ending is lame! I hope I can do better as I keep writing and get more experienced with the genre.**

**Disclaimer: As you all know by now, I don't own DGM or its characters - everything belongs to Hoshino.**

Chapter Four (Kanda)

Kanda felt the color drain from his face, temporarily dashing all thoughts from his mind as the terrifying man stood over him. Even his instincts seemed frozen, delaying his reach for Mugen where it lay atop his extra towel.

That above all else infuriated him—that he would be so afraid of another person that he would freeze up. Akuma didn't provoke such fear in him, so why should a perverse and irresponsible general be able to? Speaking of such a person, why was he even here? Kanda hadn't sensed his presence at all.

With a growl low in his throat, he shoved aside the musings wandering through his mind and in turn thrust his sword at Cross' face without hesitation. While the older man only appeared vaguely surprised at the response, Kanda still managed to graze his cheek with Mugen's blade.

Before any more damage could be done to his flesh, Cross snatched at Kanda's wrist, catching it in a grip so firm that Mugen nearly fell into the bath. With his other hand, Cross swiped at a thin line of blood trickling slowly down his cheek, licking it from his thumb with a disconcerting grace.

"Is that how you treat your superiors, boy?" He fixed the Japanese exorcist with a piercing glare, not quite masking his interest in him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Kanda growled, biting back a disconcerted stutter. What was this guy doing? After spending so many years away from the Order with no communication whatsoever, he suddenly comes back to attack Kanda in the bath? That didn't make any sense!

"Do you know how much you look like a fine woman? Now if you had a couple of—"

"Do not finish that sentence," Kanda warned. The few words the general spoke ignited a fury seen only by the few who dared call Kanda feminine. Kanda's sword was once again raised to Cross' throat, the hand holding it having wrenched itself from the older man's grip. The blade subtly brushed his neck, not quite breaking the skin. It touched just enough to warn the man he was serious. General or not, Kanda would not stand for doubts about his manhood.

"It would only be shameful if—"

"I'm serious," he said, sliding the blade up to Cross' earlobe.

Cross only brushed it away, not intimidated in the least. It wasn't an act, Kanda observed. Then again, after all of the women who had surely threatened and attempted to kill him over the years, he should hardly be surprised.

He glared into the red-haired man's eyes. Those eyes were laughing at him. Even as Cross' long hair dampened from the steam and fell into his eyes, there was no mistaking that teasing air about him. For the first time, Kanda noticed the contours of the man's body; the angular, chiseled face; the muscular neck leading into a sculpted chest and arms with such graceful contours; the towel slung around his hips, barely tied to cover—

At that point, Kanda cut himself off. His cheeks reddened, but he pretended, even in his own mind, that it was merely the heat of the springs around them.

"S-since when do you go after men anyway?" he muttered, allowing Cross to take his sword and put it back in its sheathe. Kanda was appalled at himself, letting his only weapon be snatched away so easily. Yet he was powerless to stop it, even had he truly wanted to.

Cross seemed to think about the question. "It's not something I've thought about," he admitted, moving a step closer to Kanda.

The younger man responded by taking two steps away from him. He gritted his teeth, narrowing his eyes, utterly furious. This person was only messing with him!

"Don't give me that look," Cross sighed, running a hand through his hair. After a moment in which Kanda remained frozen on the spot despite the temperatures that should have melted him instantly, Cross' expression finally changed. If anyone who hadn't just witnessed the ordeal had seen it, they would have interpreted it as tenderness. However, Kanda recognized it for something far more sinister and much, much less innocent.

Cross advanced once again, taking more than one step. It looked as if they were dancing, Kanda attempting to maintain some semblance of dignity as he retreated faster and faster from his aggressor. Eventually, his back collided with something solid, surprising him to the point where he almost hit his head on it. Feeling behind him with a slightly trembling hand, his skin met the gravelly surface of a hot spring rock. So this had been the plan all along.

Kanda resisted the impulse to dart to one side, knowing it would only prolong the wait before the suffering he would surely endure. And besides, showing panic in his actions would not do, even in the face of such a pervert. Especially in the face of a person like Cross.

The older man closed the gap between them, pressing one hand to the rock beside Kanda's head. The other found its way under Kanda's chin, tilting the boy's face up to look at his. The venomous façade was still in place, even if hints of something Kanda himself couldn't quite place now shown through. A thought struck him. Was this…anticipation?

The idea alone disgusted him, but it alone broke the angry stare. His eyes widened, staring into Cross' distant ones.

"If you're going to do this, at least make sure your mind is all here," Kanda spat, offended in a way that puzzled him.

Cross' lips curled into a smile that could only be described as a sweet poison; one which the drinker would be glad to swallow, only to meet his end within seconds. "Kanda, is your own mind truly in this?"

Kanda opened his mouth to retort, only to have it snap shut again, unsure of what it should say. The truth, of course, was no. A battle tore his consciousness to shreds, a new and conflicted emotion entering the fray with every move he or Cross made. His mind was definitely retreating farther and farther from the scene at hand with every passing moment. But he had never been one to let himself be hindered by emotions for long. On missions, he ignored them almost completely, aside from the idea of fulfilling his task. This wasn't the same, yet he didn't know what else to do but to treat it as if it were.

"It's not," he finally said, glancing away from Cross.

"No," Cross said, seductive grin still in place. "Remember this isn't like a mission. You don't have to stay here."

"You have me trapped," Kanda pointed out.

"Only because you've let me," the older man replied. "If you had been entirely serious about making me leave, or escaping yourself, you would have acted more furiously and neither of us would be here. Dormant within you is a curiosity even you can't comprehend."

"Th-that's…" It was all he could say. A swarm of new emotion, undiluted by rational thought, closed in on him so quickly, it made him dizzy. He steadied himself discreetly, bracing one hand against the rock behind him.

Instantly spotting Kanda's moment of weakness as if he'd been waiting for it, Cross leaned in and pressed his lips to Kanda's. At first, the Japanese boy froze at the none too gentle assault on a previously untouched part of his face. He felt numb with shock, awaking from it only when he felt the prodding of a tongue against his mouth, which, he suddenly realized, had been sealed tightly shut against intruders.

As if struck by lightning, Kanda regained enough control to shove Cross away from him and swipe his own mouth with the back of his hand. Disgusted, he scooped handfuls of heated water, flinging them at his face in hopes of cleansing it.

"What the hell was _that_?" he finally gasped, crouched trembling in the bath. It wasn't the idea of his first kiss being stolen, nor was it even the fact that it was stolen by a man. It was the idea that this person would have the audacity to make a surprise attack on him. Maybe it was just as Allen said—perhaps Cross was a genuine demon.

"That was a kiss." The red-haired man paused. "Actually, that makes it sound far chaster than I meant it."

A blush crept over Kanda's cheeks. Cross approached him once again, lowering himself to one knee before the younger man. A look of apology flitted across his face. He knew how to deal with women like this. These shy ones always needed a little more finessing than the average lover.

Without warning, a dangerous smirk curled across Kanda's face. One hand cupped Cross' jaw firmly while the other braced against the floor in front of him. The last thing he wanted to do was fall forward.

And then their lips met again, initiated by Kanda. Cross' eyes widened in great surprise, obviously not having expected the move.

Kanda's lips moved perfectly in sync, seemingly drifting over Cross' before a certain boldness made itself known. It was gentle, far tamer than Cross probably could have been if he'd tried. Kanda did not attempt to intrude upon the other man the way he had experienced, but instead contented himself with the outside of the mouth. The bristly moustache and goatee were minor distractions, though he did wonder how anyone could live with such inconveniences.

Finally, he withdrew, sitting back on his feet and brushing a few strands of soaked hair from his eyes. "That's more like it," he breathed. "It's annoying when people just throw themselves at you."

When Cross looked into the young man's eyes there was little to read aside from a confidence purer than had been there before. It was almost intimidating coming from someone as young and inexperienced as he.

"Is your mind with me now?"

The question drew Cross from his reverie and he replied with a single, "Yes."

Without any necessary cues, Kanda backed against the rock again, finding it convenient now, rather than restricting. Cross resumed his position above the boy, hands gliding from his neck to waist, where the towel remained loosely tied.

"Leave it," Kanda demanded. "You're too impatient."

Although not pleased at his partial rejection, Cross obeyed, returning his touch to Kanda's face. In one last kiss, in which Kanda permitted Cross' tongue to caress his own, their bodies melded together unconsciously. The warmth between them coupled with the hot spring was nearly unbearable. Two things meant for comfort became edgier, uncomfortable, but a vital link between the two men.

**Right. Well, there's an epilogue after this, but the story's pretty much completed. Again, I'm really sorry if it didn't live up to the expectations you had. ^^; Still, please review and tell me what you think! Constructive comments can be quite helpful, and I really want to improve future fics and original writing. :D Thanks so much for reading this far!**


	5. Epilogue

**Epilogue, yaaaaay~! The actual end to the story. I didn't realize how short it would look after it was posted here. ^^;**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DGM, etc.**

Epilogue

Allen Walker strode down the hall of the Black Order with nothing but a pleasant and relaxing bath on his mind. It was early morning, but he had been unable to sleep after hearing rumors that his master had returned to the Order suddenly. Knowing that evil man, there was no telling when he might try to attack Allen when he wasn't expecting it.

Sliding the door to the hot springs open, he quickly removed his clothing to replace it with a soft towel. Although many members of the Order forewent such a formality, he'd never felt at ease bathing with people around. It was a sort of precaution for him.

Emerging into the bath, he heard subtle splashes coming from the far side of one of the larger rocks.

As he approached, nothing could have prepared him for what he was about to see. The two people he dreaded seeing most were huddled together as if they wanted to be. Yu Kanda and Cross Marian.

At first, he stood rooted to the spot, stunned beyond comprehension. He blinked several times in hopes that he was merely hallucinating.

But no, the reality hit him when Kanda's eyes travelled to his stony figure watching them.

"Bean Sprout?" he shouted, almost as appalled as Allen himself.

"Stupid apprentice, what do you think you're doing?" Cross yelled, pelting a bar of soap at the poor boy.

Immediately after being hit in the back of the head, Allen sprinted from the bath, tripping and stumbling countless times on his way out. He even forgot his clothes, shutting himself half naked in his room once again.

**Well, that's it. ^^; The end of my first shounen-ai/yaoi fic thing. So...yup. If you want, please review and let me know what you thought of the story, I'd really like to hear from you! Constructive comments are welcome. :D Thank you soooo much for finishing the story (or for reading whichever parts you did)!**


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